The Problem With Orange
by Fairyhome2000
Summary: Starfire has a Problem. It's rather frustrating in nature and bound to cause all sorts of trouble for her AND her friends if she doesn't keep a tight reign on it! But is she strong enough to fight...nature? (Rated R for sexual content)
1. Chapter 1: Nothing to Be Alarmed About

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Teen Titans characters. I just twist their lives for my own enjoyment. I do, however, own the storyline.

**Chapter 1: Nothing to Be Alarmed About**

It had seemed so harmless at first. Just a friendly little Tamaranian peculiarity, nothing to be alarmed about. After all, Tamaranian women had been dealing with it for thousands of years now. Certainly Starfire could handle it for a handful of months.

Right.

It began with Starfire's seventeenth birthday. The team had managed to slip away from watching the city long enough for a day at the beach, complete with sun, swimming, a picnic, and, of course, presents for the birthday girl. Starfire had been so excited about the picnic that actual presents had simply overwhelmed her. The thoughtfulness of her friends never ceased to amaze her. She received a digital camera from Cyborg ("Don't know why we never thought of getting you one before!"), a pretty silver locket from Beast Boy ("You're pretty, the locket's pretty...I thought it'd be a good match," he said a little bashfully, earning him a kiss on the cheek.), a new book from Raven ("Don't worry," she'd said with a smile at Starfire's dubious look, "it has a happy ending. I checked."), and a chess set, the pieces depicted by all sorts of magical creatures, from Robin ("Magic just seems to be a part of you, Star," he said in a soft voice that made her heart skip a beat.). Starfire had spent the rest of the day using, wearing, or reading her presents as often as she could. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

The "Problem," as she'd come to think of it, started a few days after Starfire's birthday. The Titans were halfway through breakfast, chatting about the previous night's fight, when suddenly Beast Boy noticed something odd about her skin.

"Hey, Star," the little shape shifter managed through a mouthful of tofu, "what's up with your skin? It's, like, turning orange or something."

Starfire drew her arm near her face, and then gasped in alarm and dismay at what she saw. She stood up so fast that she knocked over her own plate of eggs and Mayonnaise. Not noticing, she began to examine her arm and both legs, while the other Titans looked at her with varying expressions of inquiry, worry, and amusement. There was no question about it; the skin not covered up by her usual purple outfit was beginning to show a very light tinge of orange in a peculiar mottled pattern.

"Uh, Star? Wanna clue us in?" Cyborg finally asked. Starfire looked at him, and then at her other friends for moment, considering. Then she sighed and sat back down.

"Everyone, I am going to have to ask for your patience with me for a while. The presence of these...markings will signify many mood swings for me whenever they are on my body. I apologize with much sincerity in advance for anything of an angry or frustrated nature that I might say to you. And also," now she began to blush, a slow rush of orange that didn't look so out of place now that most of her skin had the same light tint, "I must warn you, Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, that you should not be left alone with me when you see me like this. The outcome would not be pleasant."

By this point, the boys were all looking very confused, while Raven merely arched an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you're going to tell us what this is all about, are you, Star?"

"No, Raven, I will not. All I will say is that it is a Tamaranian problem, and not one that I wish to discuss openly. Now, if you will all excuse me, I am not feeling a hunger for eggs anymore." And with that, Starfire got to her feet and nearly bolted from the dining room.

The rest of the Titans exchanged glances.

"Well, that was weird," came Beast Boy's comment, and nothing more was said. Only Robin, who had said nothing since the strange conversation had started, continued to shoot worried glances at the door.

- - -

Raven had finally found her friend on the roof, gazing up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set, sending streaks of gold through the amethyst and navy expanse. The sun was ready to sleep, but their day was just beginning. Dusk lent its flames to Starfire's own coppery hair, red shot with gold in the sun's light. Raven unconsciously touched her own head. She wondered if the sun made the dark purple shine like her normally good-natured friend over there. Then again, maybe it just absorbed the light the way her power could. Sighing, she pushed the dark thoughts from her mind.

"So, now that the boys are all safely in other parts of the house, are you going to explain to me what this is all about?"

Starfire shook her head and kept her eyes on the sky. "No, I really do not want to talk about it."

Raven's eyebrows shot towards her hairline. "Star, you want to talk about everything. The things you've seen during the day, the new people you've met, the ones you see everyday. Even silly ordinary stuff. I remember a conversation we had just about your shoes. Although I will never admit that I would talk to anyone about their shoes."

Starfire glanced over at her. How could Raven possibly understand this? Despite the closeness they had continued to share over the years through meditation and the occasional shopping spree, the other girl kept such a tight rein on her feelings that there was no way Starfire could try to explain the Problem.

"Try me," was all she said. At the redhead's surprised look, she smiled, just a little, and said, "Your face is an open book. Now, spill it."

"Well...I guess it cannot hurt to talk about it." She cleared her throat. "Tamaranian girls, at a certain age, begin to go through what we call the cycles. The orange coloring only lasts for a year or so of these cycles, but it shows up for several days once a month. The orange signifies the girl's readiness to, ah, provide children." Now a blush once again stained her cheeks. She didn't dare turn to look at Raven. "It also causes her to be...aggressive. She attempts to take what she wants."

Now Starfire finally managed to look at her friend. "Um, you _do _realize what she wants, yes?"

Raven's lips quirked. "I have a pretty good idea."

"After a year, the orange patterns disappear. The girl continues to feel a...restlessness...every month, but she can begin to control it."

"So, let me get this straight. You're going to be turning orange once in a while, for a while. And whenever the orange shows, we've got to make sure you're not alone with the boys because of you'll suddenly try to...take what you want from them." That was definitely a smile on Raven's face, Starfire decided.

"It is not a matter for laughter, Raven! I would change it if I could, but I cannot stop it, and it is very embarrassing!" she said, tears beginning to form.

_And there's the moodiness_, Raven thought. Out loud, she said quickly, "Please don't cry. You're right, it's not funny, and I'm not laughing. And I can see why you didn't want to tell the boys. They're good for the fights, but when it comes to girls, they're clueless. They'd fall all over each other trying to understand it, and then they wouldn't be sure what to do with it."

Starfire smiled happily, tears evaporating.. "I'm glad you can understand. Tell me, on Azarath, do the girls experience something similar to the Tamaranians?"

Raven thought for a moment. "No, nothing like that. But now that you mention it, there _is_ a time of the month when I eat a lot more than normal."

Starfire frowned. "Well, that does not seem fair at all."

- - -

Several floors below, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin were pummeling each other cybernetically via Beast Boy's newest game, _Monster Trucks II: Total Destruction_. And naturally, since this was their way of bonding, they gossiped in between triumphant exclamations, sighs of defeat, and battle cries.

"So, what do you think Star meant when she said we can't be left alone with her?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'd say she means she doesn't want to be left alone with us," came Robin's reply. His sarcasm was always subtle, but highly effective. Beast Boy glared at him, and consequently lost the match.

"Hey, no fair! Anyway, I know what she was saying, what I mean is, why?"

"Girls are strange creatures, BB. Sometimes, what they say doesn't have to make sense as long as a guy has the good sense to stay out of her way when she tells him to. And Star can be as strange as they come," Cyborg managed to say even as he took Robin's monster truck head-on in the ring.

"Yeah, but--"

"Maybe she just doesn't want to talk about it. I mean, it sounds a lot like...well...period stuff to me. Earth girls'll go on about them until you beg them to stop, but maybe they treat it differently on Tamaran," Robin said.

"Wow, I think that's the most you've said since sometime yesterday, dude. You feelin' okay?" Beast Boy asked the question with the typical caution of a guy wandering into the "feelings zone," but Robin waved the concern away.

"I'm fine, I've just been thinking a lot lately."

"Uh-oh. You're not gonna start obsessing about Slade this early in the day, are you?" Cyborg asked.

"No, it's not about that. It's just...stuff," Robin said a little uncomfortably. Beast Boy's monster truck was running circles around his own; how did that little mutant always manage to find the fastest one?

"Stuff?" Cyborg asked with a grin. "Does this 'stuff' happen to have long red hair and pretty green eyes?"

"And wear purple almost every day?" Beast Boy added with his own grin. He and Cyborg were now closing in on Robin's truck from both sides. Any minute now, he'd be crushed with no chance of return.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I should ask Raven out on a formal date. You know, something fancy, like Armadette's, and then maybe go dancing. Do you think she can salsa?" he asked with a completely straight face. In the time it took both of his friends to gape at him, Robin managed to crush both opposing trucks and rack up a few bonus points.

"Dude, if I weren't so completely stunned by what you just said, it would be the funniest thing ever," was all Beast Boy could say.

It was only later, after their humiliating defeat, that Cyborg turned to Beast Boy as they walked to the gym and said, "Dang it, he never answered my question. The boy's smooth."

**End Chapter**


	2. Chapter 2: A Little Friendly Competition

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: My story, not my characters. Don't sue me.

**Chapter 2: A Little Friendly Competition**

The truth was, a certain redhead with pretty green eyes and an affection for purple clothing _was_ what Robin was concentrating so hard on. He sighed as he slipped into the indoor pool. This was the room he came to most often to think. The room was located in the cross of the Titan Tower, and had a Plexiglas roof that was tinted just enough to keep the most blinding of the sun's rays out. Sometimes he would just float on his back and watch the clouds roll by, although he was in the pool more often by starlight.

Today, however, Robin had too much energy to laze around, and began to swim furious laps around the pool. His lithe body cut through the water with practiced ease. Despite his smaller form three years ago, Robin had managed to grow enough to tower over everyone but the massive Cyborg. And true to Starfire's brief contact with the future, he had begun to let his hair grow out. Now it touched his shoulders in an ebony wave, not looking the least bit girly.

He came up for air and floated on his back for a moment, staring up at the stars. For years, he'd been happy with the strange, highly affectionate friendship that he and Starfire had developed, but lately it didn't seem to be right. _I've gone through this before_, he reminded himself. _The timing's just always been off_. _One of us would be seeing someone else, or the team was neck deep in villains_. It was true; there had always been _something_ in the way, but this time the feeling had come upon him when they were both single. The city had even been relatively quiet, with the exception of the occasional common robbery. It seemed like the perfect time to give the matter consideration.

But now this whole orangey-skin business had him worried. He believed in the explanation he'd given to the other boys, but if it was about her period, why would she have to stay away from guys specifically? _It just doesn't make sense_, he finally thought with resignation. Maybe now just wasn't the time to bring up their relationship. With that thought in mind, Robin began to push himself ruthlessly in his laps to block out further thinking.

- - -

"Hey, Star, wanna test out that new chess board again? I'm not so good at chess, but I can play a mean game of checkers," Beast Boy coaxed his red-haired friend. She had been sitting on her bed and staring out the window every time he'd poked his head in her room for the last day and a half. He wasn't used to a lifeless Starfire--it seemed obscenely wrong for someone as kindhearted as she to be so depressed about a sudden epidermal color change. He had also worriedly noted that the orange had darkened on her skin. It had settled into the sort of pattern that water threw on the bottom of a pool when the sun was on it. Starfire had actually changed out of her normal attire and into jeans and a long sleeved green shirt just to keep most of her skin from showing. While the green was flattering to her hair and eyes, it also made the visible skin stick out more. But he wasn't going to be the one to tell her that.

"Beast Boy, I do not wish to play with you today. Tomorrow, I may--" she began, but he cut her off.

"No way, Starfire," he said in an unusually stern tone. "You've been feeding that same line to everyone since this whole thing started. You're gonna have to accept it sooner or later. Now, are we gonna play, or what?"

Starfire buried her head in her knees. "No Beast Boy. Not today."

He sighed and threw his hands in the air. "All right. I'll be downstairs in the main room with the game if you change your mind."

Starfire waited a moment, and then turned to see if he was still there. He was not.

"Perhaps I am being silly about this. After all, aloneness is quite lonely," she murmured to herself. Since she had holed up in her room, everyone except Beast Boy had honored her need to be alone. But how could she face them? The urges had already started. Just this last sleep cycle she had awakened from an unremembered dream filled with such need that she had nearly set out for the nearest male to take care of it. Luckily, the only person she'd bumped in to was Raven, who had simply said, "Dreams like that are a problem for _every_ teenager, Star. At least you know we all share that part."

Starfire failed to see the helpfulness in that comment.

She had managed to go back to sleep, although the dreams still plagued her. This was not something Starfire was used to. Her dreams were filled with wondrous things, like beautiful places, cute animals, and lots of bright colors. They were certainly _not _filled with the delightful things a man and a woman could do together. And _definitely_ not one certain man in particular, dark hair spilling around his shoulders and a willingness to hold her the way she wished he would hold her, kiss her skin, bring her to ecstasy...

Oh, dear.

Starfire's breath was coming much faster now, and it seemed like there was a fire slowly baking her body in the most delicious way. She flopped back on the bed, breathing deeply to clam herself.

"It may be more dangerous to keep to myself," she said aloud slowly and a little breathlessly. "If I am out there, I can distract myself from what is happening to my body. But if I stay in here..."

She didn't even need to finish the though; her mind was more than happy to supply more misty images from her dreams. Finally reaching a decision, she bolted form the room in search of her green-skinned friend.

"Glad to see you out of that room," he grinned from where he was sitting. True to his word, Beast Boy had set up a checkers game in the middle of the couch. Surprisingly, no one was pounding the life out of a controller or watching a movie just then, so they could sit on either side of the game and still be on the huge sofa.

Starfire smiled back at him, and tried not to notice how much she was noticing him. Unlike Robin, Beast Boy hadn't gotten much taller over the years, but muscle rippled under the tight costume whenever he moved. Starfire blushed when she realized she was picturing him holding her up with those strong arms as they...

She shook her head rapidly to clear her mind. Perhaps this was not a good idea after all.

Even as she turned to go back, Beast Boy's hand reached out to snatch her arm.

"Oh, no you don't. Get over here," he said in that same stern voice. She found this sudden show of command oddly sexy. He was usually so laid back.

Definitely a not a good idea.

"C'mon, Star. Nothing's so bad that you have to lock yourself away for it," his voice softly pleaded. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"I will stay. But I will only play two or three, possibly four, games with you, and then I will go back to my room," she said in what she hoped was tone that brooked no argument.

"Deal." he grinned at her again, and suddenly she could breathe again. She smiled back and sat down across from him.

Starfire had loved chess immediately after Robin had begun teaching it to her, partly because it was a game they shared and partly because she found it fascinating. Checkers, however, was not her favorite--unless she was playing with Beast Boy. That was because he made up his own running commentary as they attacked each other with the little pieces. By the end of each game, they were both always playing quite badly because they were laughing too hard to play the game properly anymore.

"Oh, no, Miss Star, you can't possibly want to move to _that_ space," Beast Boy said in a comically high-pitched voice. "That would ruin all of Hunky Mr. Beast Boy's plans!"

Starfire giggled as she promptly took out four of his pieces, much to his surprise. He'd only been bluffing!

"All right, that's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy," he grumbled in his normal tone. Then he reached out, firmly took one foot, began to tickle her.

"No, no, no!" Starfire managed between fits of laughter. "You are cheating, Beast Boy! I call this an unfair game!"

He laughed, but kept on attacking her feet. "Hey, when I'm getting beaten _this_ bad, there's no way I'm gonna play fair!"

There was only one way to fight back. Her other foot had already kicked the game to the floor in an effort to kick Beast Boy's hands away, so now she lunged at him and began assaulting his ribs. He howled with laughter.

"Hey, no fair beating a guy at his own game!" he managed to gasp out. Switching tactics, he grabbed her arms and wrestled with her until he managed to pin her underneath him. Then he frowned, not quite sure what to do next.

Two things occurred to Starfire once she was trapped. The first was that the Problem, which had died down during their playful game of checkers, was intensifying, as was that needy feeling she had hoped to leave behind in her bedroom. The second would have been difficult to miss even if he hadn't been pressed so close to her; he was hard against her. And it felt good. He seemed to realize it as well, and, blushing profusely, started to scramble his way off of her. And then Starfire, without even thinking about it, raised up on her elbows and kissed Beast Boy for the first time in her life.

At first it was a bit awkward; he was in a half push-up, trying to get off of her, so it put his arms at a strange angle. The kiss surprised him, and after a few moments, the arms couldn't take his weight anymore and he pitched forward. Starfire took the opportunity to place her arms around his neck and pull him down more firmly on top of her.

This was all so wrong, but she couldn't seem to help herself. But maybe if she fed the desire a little bit, it would slacken a little. _Do not move_, Starfire pleaded with her hips as she combed her fingers through Beast Boy's hair. It was soft to the touch, more like fur than normal hair. His lips were soft and anxious against hers, a lifetime of boyish hormones rushing out for that one moment. It was her tongue that struck out first, coaxing his out of its shyness. They danced in and out of each other's mouths as their legs tangled together, and his knee ended up pressing against a _very_ sensitive spot on Starfire's body. Heat flared up through her as she moaned at the touch.

It was that sound that finally brought Beast Boy back. With an oath, he jerked away. The movement lost him his balance, and he tumbled of the couch in a tangle of limbs. Starfire was left to stare at the ceiling, her mind still caught up in the feelings the other Titan had brought to the surface. Out loud, she said in a shaky voice, "Did I not say this would be a very bad idea?"

Beast Boy let out a shaky breath from the floor and sat up. "Well, yeah, but I didn't think it was _that_ kind of bad idea. More of a _I'm-gonna-scream-or-cry _kind of bad idea," he exclaimed in a breathless sort of way.

Starfire sighed and hid her burning face with her arms. "I apologize, Beast Boy. I had hoped I could control myself, but it appears that I was wrong. I should be exiled to one of the planets of the Glaarg system! If you do not wish to speak with me again, I would understand," she said in a voice very close to tears.

Beast Boy rubbed his suddenly pounding temples, and then turned to Starfire. If he pried her arms away so that she would look at him, would she try to kiss him again? The teenage boy in him shouted for joy at that prospect, but the rest of him shuddered at what Robin would do to him if he found out about the first kiss, let alone a second. In the end, he poked at her arm until she peeked out at him.

"Look, I'm not mad. It's not like it was your fault anyway. _I'm_ the one who started the tickling match, remember? If anyone's to blame, it's me. 'Sides, we're almost adults, right? We can handle a little accidental kissing."

Starfire sat up shaking her head and pulling up her sleeve. "I am afraid you do not understand what is happening, Beast Boy. The fault is comes from these patterns on my skin," she said earnestly, extending her arm for his examination. He glanced at it briefly and then frowned at her.

"Star, why are you blaming your orange skin? It's not like it has a mind of its own."

Sighing, Starfire finally explained the situation to him, using much the same explanation she gave Raven. Beast Boy's mouth dropped open. Then, when the full implications of what might have happened between them sank in, he began to blush furiously.

"So, that's why you wanted to stay locked up in your room," he muttered. He risked a quick glance at her, and then darted his gaze away as the embarrassment attacked him again. "Um, don't you think the other guys should know about this? I mean, you've pretty much told half the team now, so shouldn't they know too?"

Starfire shook her head so hard it made her head hurt. "No! I do not wish to discuss it any further with anyone else. You and Raven know, and that is sufficiently embarrassing enough. Cyborg is like a big brother to me; I would not want him feeling so uncomfortable around me by knowing where my mind is. And Robin...well..."

Beast Boy definitely didn't want to think about Robin at the moment.

"Hey, don't you care about how uncomfortable _I'm _going to feel?" Beast Boy asked in an outraged sort of tone.

"I did not want you to feel that you were responsible for the kiss. Especially since Terra is coming home in a few more months," Starfire said gently. He hung his head.

"I was trying not to think about that," he muttered darkly. Terra had been in Arizona for the last year studying geology. She had felt that by learning more about the different types of rocks on the earth she would learn more about her powers, and ultimately more about herself. And Beast Boy, who had been smitten since the day they had met, still hadn't found the courage to ask her on a proper date by the time she finally left. Now, guilt laid as heavily on him as it seemed to on Starfire.

"How about this," he said after a moment. "Let's just pretend it didn't happen. After all, we both have our eyes on other people, and it never would have happened if it weren't for...well, you know."

Starfire nodded. "Agreed." They started to shake hands, but it was still too soon. The physical contact sent a shock up both their arms, and they jerked away and hurriedly began cleaning up the game pieces scattered on the floor. Neither noticed the figure on the stairs who had stared at them in shock a moment before. The person slipped away, on silent feet, leaving behind the two shaken and completely unaware teens.

**End Chapter**

I just want to thank those people that commented: Thank you so much! You made my day, seriously! Oh, and I'm sorry I caused so much confusion with Robin's comment near the end of the first chapter. I hope everyone was clear on his intentions by the beginning of this one. Of course, as you can see, I'm messing with the pairings anyway--it's just more fun that way. ;)

And now for some bad news... Updates will probably slow down from now on since school's finally started for me. Please don't get too frustrated with me! I'll update as often as I can, I swear.

Fairyhome2000


	3. Chapter 3: Dissention in the Ranks

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. Please don't sue me.

**Chapter 3: Dissention in the Ranks**

A couple of days later saw the remainder of Starfire's orange skin disappear. Everyone breathed a little easier, especially Beast Boy. The fiery red-head had put on such an obvious show of false cheer whenever he walked into the same room that both Cyborg and Raven had pulled him aside on separate occasions to ask what the problem was.

The most disturbing conversation had been with Raven. He already knew that she was aware of the Problem, but Starfire didn't seem to have told her about the kiss. The "talk" was an exchange of stony glares (on her part) and nervous but embarrassed glances (on his). Raven finally ended the torture with a cryptic, "I'm watching you."

That was even worse than when someone said they'd tell you-know-who about the you-know-what, in his opinion.

And on top of that, Robin had been peculiarly cold to him for days. It was enough to make Beast Boy want to tear his hair out. What had gotten into his leader, anyway? It wasn't like he didn't have enough to deal with, what with the kiss and all...

The kiss...

"No. Oh, _no_," Beast Boy moaned out loud, slapping his palm against his head. Man, was he an idiot. Robin knew about the kiss; _how _he knew was beyond Beast Boy, but it was the only logical explanation. "Great. I guess that means I gotta go talk to him about it. Talk to a guy who probably knows how to break my bones in a thousand different ways about how I kissed his girl. Just peachy," he muttered. It was just not his week.

- - -

Robin gritted his teeth and steadied himself for the kick. It was just him and ol' green skin over there, completely unaware. _Get ready, and..._ He executed the kick perfectly, nearly decapitating another sparring bot. It wasn't green, of course, but the same flat gray that made all of the robots seem so impersonal. Unless you got creative.

"Whoa, Robin, buddy, you've gotta lay off the droids. I can only build so many, and you've already gone through two. Tone it down a little, will ya?" Cyborg pleaded from the other corner of the room where he was lifting weights. Although his robotic parts were in top shape, the human muscle still had to be exercised to stay in shape.

Robin wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Sorry, Cy. I'll try not to trash any more of them."

The truth was, he just wanted the other man to go away. He wanted to pummel the non-life out of every single piece of equipment in this room, and he couldn't do that with Cyborg cautioning him to be more careful every five minutes. Besides, it was either take it out on the droids, or go find--

Beast Boy walked in. Robin's eyes narrowed.

Beast Boy saw the look and wanted desperately to run. Instead, he did the brave thing and stood his ground, saying, "Hey, Robin, just the man I wanted to see. Listen, I gotta talk to you about something. In private."

Robin turned away to shut off the sparring droid with an angry flick of the switch. "Go away, Beast Boy. I _really _don't want to talk to you right now."

Cyborg looked like he was caught between unbearable curiosity and an urge to flee. Beast Boy knew the feeling. He sucked in a deep breath and said, "I know. You're probably really mad at me right now. I don't know how you found out, but--"

"Found out? _Found out?_ I was standing _right there_ when it happened!" Robin snarled, whirling to face him. Cyborg began inching his way out of the room. Damned if he didn't want to know what the "it" was, but it wasn't any of his business. Besides, he was going to the medical room. Odds were someone was going to have to be patched up after this one.

Neither teen noticed him leave. Beast Boy was staring at Robin with wide eyes. He'd only ever seen this much rage come from the other Titan when Slade had gotten the best of them, and now all of it was directed at him. It was an awesome and terrifying sight.

"Look, I don't know how much you actually saw, but it was a mistake. An accident. See, Star--"

"An accident. Right. You're lips just sort of fell on her, and then you're body followed without consulting you." The sarcasm was thick enough to hang a sweater on.

"No, I mean it. See, it happened like this--"

"I don't need your version, I saw you kissing her!"

"Robin, you're not listening to me! Star kissed _me_!" Beast Boy finally blurted out. He instantly regretted his words when he saw misery and doubt replace rage on Robin's face. The words hung between them for a moment.

And then Robin said, very softly, "But why would she do that?"

The other Titan let out a frustrated sigh, running his hands through his hair. "I think that's something you're going to have to ask her."

The door opened suddenly, startling them both. Raven's head poked in, as curious as they'd ever seen.

"I just passed Cyborg muttering something about bandages and 'killing each other.' You two aren't doing anything stupid, are you?" She asked the question casually, as though she weren't really calling them idiots and was instead asking them what kind of sandwiches they wanted. Beast Boy gave Robin a questioning look, as if to say, _it's your call, man_. Robin sighed.

"No, we're through here. You can tell Cyborg that BB and I won't be killing each other. Today." The momentary joy Beast Boy felt at Robin calling him by his nickname again was squashed by the weight of the stony look his leader cast at him.

"Uh, yeah, what he said," came the nervous affirmation.

Raven fixed them both with a routine glare. _She must bottle them up and hide them in the Tower somewhere_, Beast Boy thought inanely. When she seemed satisfied that neither one was lying to her, she turned and left the room without another word.

"Dude, she's really good at that. If she ever has kids, they'll never even gonna have a _chance_ to get away with anything," Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. Ever get the feeling she's got eyes in the back of her head? It's so creepy," Robin agreed. Then his humor drained away. "I'm still mad at you. Raven can't stop that."

Beast Boy looked miserably at the floor. "Yeah, I'm still mad at me, too. But it really was just a mistake, you know? If it wasn't for that stupid... Ah, well."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Stupid what?"

Beast Boy looked him full in the face, his gaze taking on a measuring look. "That's another thing you should talk about with her. I won't be the one to spill the beans."

"Your not helping yourself, Beast Boy." The frustration was thick in his voice.

The shape shifter gave a tight, angry smile. "Hey, you wouldn't have spill a secret that Star _specifically_ asked me to keep from you, would you?"

"Me?" Robin looked stricken.

"That's right, you." He didn't bother to add _and Cyborg_ because he was too mad at his friend. Petty, but true.

Suddenly the alarm went off. Real life was intruding on their private bubble, and it made them both jump.

"Robin, Beast Boy! Get your butts down here!" Cyborg's voice sounded over the comm system. Robin clenched a fist, then headed out the door without another word. Shaking his head, Beast Boy followed.

- - -

"Okay, here's the deal. We've got a robbery at an antique store in downtown Jump City. The and here's the kicker: the perp's armed, and dangerous, with umbrellas."

"Excuse me?" Raven asked, thinking that maybe she hadn't heard right. She had.

"Umbrellas, they're attacking the store with umbrellas. I'm not joking here."

"Good, because I'm not laughing. All right, Titan's, go!" Robin ordered.

- - -

"That's right, run, my dears! I am UL, goddess of this world and the next! Fear my glory!" a crazed woman screamed. She was in her fifties and so painfully thin she could almost be called emaciated. She had dark hair, although in the middle of the night everything looked dark, even with the help of street lights. It was cut to her jaw, and suck out in all directions like straw. Her dress was a faded blue with large white polka dots. It looked vintage.

"Dude, seriously, _umbrellas_?" Beast Boy asked, staring in amazement. UL, as she called herself, was floating ten feet above the ground, one hand clutching a sky blue umbrella, already opened. Fluffy white clouds were painted on it and delicate silver wings had been attached to the top. Her other hand held a closed umbrella, painted to look like a laser cannon. It was doing a pretty good job at simulating one, too: a beam the size of Cyborg's head was making deep furrows in the city's roads. She didn't seem to be very good at controlling the beam, since she had to direct it one-handed, and the police she was aiming for were safer than the bystanders.

"I've had enough of this. Titans, go!" shouted Robin. He leapt, throwing his trademark bombs at the woman. She screamed, but clung to the floating umbrella.

"Do you really think you can win in a challenge against your goddess?" she shrieked at them, spittle running down her chin.

"That's disgusting," Raven commented as she used her powers to try to yank the laser-brella away from UL. The crazed woman appeared to guess Raven's intentions, and pointed the lethal thing at her. Only Starfire, who scooped up the other girl, prevented her from being a permanent smudge on the sidewalk. The crazy woman was getting better at aiming.

Beast Boy crouched in tiger form, ready to spring as soon as he had a clear shot, while Cyborg and Robin worked together to move people out of the blaster's range. Starfire raised one arm to fling a green bolt, only to duck as UL pointed the laser-brella at her again; the blast took out a chunk of the building behind them. Raven's hand tightened on Starfire's arm.

"The building--" was all she managed to get out before Starfire saw the danger. She was too slow to get completely clear and the massive chunk of concrete and steel slammed into her arm on the way down. She screamed in pain, nearly dropping Raven.

Robin's head jerked up at Starfire's cry. She was biting her lip in pain. Raven seemed to have remembered that she, too, could fly, and had put up a protective barrier around the two of them as she examined the damaged arm. Robin felt anger burning from the inside out for this madwoman. She was stealing and tearing up the streets of _his_ city, firing at the innocent and the protectors alike, and now she had just wounded one of his best friends. She would pay.

Apparently Beast Boy echoed the sentiment, because with a roar he leapt at UL, startling her into dropping the laser-brella. She screamed and tried to protect herself as best as she could with one frail arm, but it wasn't her he had aimed for. He gripped the handle of the peacefully levitating umbrella with his sharp jaws and snapped it in half. There was a loud _snap_, and then the two of them were falling. Beast Boy shifted to a hawk, landing gracefully, while Cyborg rather unceremoniously caught UL. She kicked, screamed, bit, cursed, and clawed at him, but he held firm. Finally exhausted, the crazy old woman collapsed into bitter tears, ranting at all of them. The police took her into custody shortly after.

"Star, are you okay?" Robin asked, kneeling beside her. She shook her head; she was still biting her lip, and tears shone in her eyes. Raven had just finished probing the arm with her mind.

"It doesn't look good," she told him quietly. "Her bone is broken in a couple of different places. I can heal it, but I'm afraid to do it here. It needs to be done slowly. We have to get her back to the tower."

Robin nodded, face grim. "All right, then, let's go."

**End Chapter**

That was my first action sequence, so I'm sorry if it didn't flow right. I tend to edit things even after they're posted, so it might get fixed if I have the motivation. C&C? -Tries to look winsome-

Fairyhome2000


	4. Chapter 4: House Call

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titan characters. But if I did, they'd eat candy and drink root beer all day long.

**Chapter 4: House Call**

"Raven, are you certain that it must be done this way?"

"Star, the shirt's ripped anyway. And if you try to take it off yourself, you might hurt your arm again. Now, sit still."

_Riiiiip_.

Starfire sighed. It hadn't been her favorite shirt, but it seemed so wasteful to tear it to shreds just because she couldn't get it over her head. At least the jeans survived, although they were a little torn. Raven had already given Starfire something for the pain and was currently examining her arm. She had managed to heal the worst of the damage with her powers, but it was still going to be bruised and stiff for a while.

"And it's still broken. I can heal you a little at a time for the next few days, but I'm afraid that if I do it any faster the bones will heal wrong," Raven told her.

"Then I must be very careful with it," Starfire said. Raven nodded.

"By the way, how is the other thing working out?" she asked casually as she began to bind Starfire's arm. "I noticed that the orange faded."

Starfire grinned at her. "It is gone for the moment. I am very relieved. It is a difficult thing to deal with."

"So you didn't try to, ah, have your way with anyone?" Raven asked, eyes glimmering with humor. Until she noticed Starfire's stricken look. "What did I say?"

"Oh, it is nothing. Merely the pain in my arm," the Tamaranian said quickly. Raven raised an eyebrow and stared her straight in the eye for a long moment. Finally, she lowered her eyes back to the broken arm.

"All right, I'll buy that. For now. But you're going to have to tell me sooner or later."

"And why is that?" Starfire wanted to know.

"Because you won't be able to help yourself."

- - -

He was pacing. Again. To the left side of the room, then to the right side of the room. Left, right, left, right, left, right.

"Robin, will you knock it off!" Cyborg finally said when he couldn't take it anymore. "Look, if you're so worried, why don't you go see her?"

Robin stopped long enough to glare at him, and then resumed pacing.

"He doesn't want to talk to her. But he doesn't like her being hurt, either," Beast Boy said from the couch. They were in the living room, Beast Boy playing _Monster Trucks I: Annihilation _on the giant TV, Cyborg chopping vegetables for stew in the kitchen, and Robin pacing. For the last half hour.

Robin whirled around and stalked--there was no other word for it--to where Beast Boy was sitting.

"What would you know about it? You probably don't even care that she's hurt," he said in a scathing tone. It was irrational, and he knew it, but the bubbling emotions inside him wouldn't let him settle down; he wanted someone to take it out on. Why not someone he was already mad at?

Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at him and kept playing while Cyborg looked on, stunned at the way Robin was acting. What had happened between the two of them? And when had they gotten so childish? Whatever it was, he was sick of watching it. He dumped the vegetables into a pot on the stove and then untied the ridiculous apron he insisted on wearing whenever he cooked. It had a caricature of the Terminator pointing a spatula like it was a gun, and underneath in bold lettering it said, "Come With Me if You Want to Eat."

"Right, well, if you won't go see her, I'm going to." He gave the other two a stern look. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone, okay?"

- - -

"Just a minute," Cyborg heard Raven's voice call from inside. "Okay, come in."

He stepped in and looked curiously at Starfire, who had a blanket wrapped around her top half. It was too warm for a wool blanket, wasn't it?

"I had to rip her shirt up to get it off," Raven said in response to his questioning gaze. "I'm glad you came to see her. I was actually just trying to decide whether to go get her a new shirt or stay here. I gave her some pain medication, but I'm not sure if there'll be any side-effects and I wanted someone here with her just in case."

"Uh, Rae, are you sure that you gave her the right amount? Some of this stuff could take down small elephants with just a small amount," he said uneasily. She merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"The dosages are written on the bottles. It doesn't take a genius to read them and give the correct dosage."

"Ah. Well, hurry back with a shirt. And make sure Robin and Beast Boy aren't pounding the life out of each other, will ya?" Raven gave him a startled look and rushed out of the room. Geez, he was just kidding.

Mostly.

"Hey, Star, how are you feeling?" he asked. She smiled.

"The pain tablets have given me relief from much of the pain," she said. Then she frowned. "However, I cannot feel my toes. Should they not be wiggling when I tell them to?"

Cyborg was frowning now, too. What had Raven given her that would make her feet go numb? Then he realized the reason. She was sitting _on _her feet, and circulation to her legs was being cut off.

"Here, Star, lemme help you move so we can fix that," he said gently. She shifted and he moved her around until she was stretched out in a position that made her feet feel tingly instead. She grimaced.

"I do not like this feeling in my feet. It is too much like having them swallowed by a zemlar." Cyborg didn't want to know what a zemlar was, or how she knew what it was like to be swallowed by one. It didn't sound pleasant.

"So, is it okay for us manly men to be around you again?" he asked jokingly. She seemed to take the question very seriously.

"For the moment. The...Problem will return next month, most likely. What exciting new invention are you working on in the garage, friend? I have heard the screaming of metal and the shout of machinery hitting the metal for many days now."

He let the subject change go. If she didn't want to talk about the Problem, whatever it was, that was up to her. "Well, it's a new tracking device. See, the problem with the old ones are..."

- - -

"Yeah, well at least _I _got to!"

"Yeah, and I'll bet you enjoyed every minute of it!"

"You know what? I did. There, I said it. I _liked_ it."

Robin couldn't have looked more shocked if he had been slapped.

"You take that back!"

"No!"

"Fine, then I guess I'll have to--"

"That's enough." A dark wave of power spilled over the room, trapping the yelling occupants in midmotion. "This is the second time that I've come in to see the two of you arguing. It's pointless and childish. If the two of you can't be in the same room without acting like this, then I'm going to put you in separate ones."

With that, the two were sucked into the ceiling. _There, let them be mad at me instead. Maybe it'll take their minds off of each other for a while. _Raven deposited each in their own room, locking the doors with a bit of power that would degrade with time. She figured they'd both find a way to escape before that time was up, but it was the best she could do.

She rubbed her temples. What was going on here, anyway? It had been quiet for weeks. No emergencies. No major villains. No one fighting. Then Starfire's biological problem, a crazed old hag, and two of her best friends nearly tearing each other apart all in one week.

"Stressed, who, me?" she murmured. She allowed herself to sink into her power and let it bring her to Starfire's room. The pure darkness that she could control was frightening, but not without its uses. She hunted through Starfire's closet until she found a complete version of her normal purple outfit--now that the orange tint had disappeared, Raven thought that she would want to feel normal again.

She stepped into the hallway and stopped to listen. She could here muffled shouts, cursing, and the sound of strong fists--or maybe that was claws?--being used on the doors. She made her way back to the medical room with a smirk playing around her face.

- - -

"Ah, Raven, you have come to join us!" Starfire said joyfully, flinging her arm, and the part of the blanket it had been holding, away from her. Cyborg's eyes widened, and then he turned away so fast that he nearly tripped over himself. A dull flush began to creep up his neck. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I take it one of the side effects was euphoria and a sudden lack of inhibitions?" she asked archly, making her way over to Starfire. She covered the other girl up, who had only been wearing a lacy white bra and her ripped jeans under the blanket.

"You got it. About five minutes ago she complained about being too warm and started to take it off on purpose." Cyborg said, his voice remarkably calm. If the worst memory he ever had of Starfire was her in her underwear, he could live with that. Uncomfortably.

There was a tentative knock on the door, and Beast Boy poked his head into the room. He winced when his eyes fell on Raven, but instead of angry, she looked quite impressed.

"How did you get out so quickly? I reinforced the door," she asked curiously.

"I crawled through the vents," he replied modestly. Then he made a face. "Those things need to be cleaned, though. There are spiders _everywhere_."

Cyborg chuckled. "Well, I'm not volunteering. I'm gonna go check on my stew, though. It should be done soon, so see y'all at dinner."

"Hey, Star," Beast Boy greeted as Cyborg left the room. She had scooted off the medical bed and leaned over to embrace him heartily, remembering this time to keep the blanket closed.

"Beast Boy, my friend! It is so good to see you!" she said cheerily. He shot a puzzled glance to Raven.

"It's the medicine. It's making her act a little strangely," she explained.

"Gee, Star acting weird. Like that's new," he muttered bitterly. He ignored Raven's arched eyebrow and concentrated on prying away the elated red-head that seemed to be glued to him.

"I'll just let you handle this," Raven said, amusement playing around her lips. Of course, she _would_ think this was funny.

"Yeah, yeah, get outta here." He watched her go, still trying to get Star to stop crushing his personal space to death. She hadn't really moved in a while. _What'd she do, fall asleep on me?_

A delicate snore informed him that that was precisely what had happened. With a sigh, he maneuvered them over to the medical bed and attempted to lay her down on it. It took a lot of creative shape shifting, but he finally made it happen. For a moment, he just looked at the peaceful girl.

Something seemed strange about her. After a moment, Beast Boy realized it was the exhaustion written all over her face. _Well, I guess I haven't been the only one not sleeping so well_, he thought wryly. Starfire murmured something in her sleep that sounded distinctly childlike and full of wonder. He smiled for the first time in days, and affectionately smoothed her hair behind her ears.

Maybe they had made a mistake, but nothing could change the fact that they were friends. Nothing more than really good friends. And he was fine with that. Now if only he could get Robin to see the same thing.

- - -

_His stomach rumbled. It was after six in the morning. _Hmm, must be time for dinner. I wonder whose turn it was to cook, _he thought to himself._ Oh, wait, it's my turn! Oops. But why didn't anyone call me down? Lessee...Rae's probably reading, Cy's puttering around in the garage, and Starfire is still acting strange. But Beast Boy at least should have come up here to whine by now. Maybe he made his own dinner.

_He sat up from where he'd been reading _Martial Arts Monthly _and started for the door to go down stairs. He would make something before anyone realized he had forgotten and came up to yell at him._

And then I'll check on Star. She hasn't been out of her room in a while. And I miss her. _The last thought came unbidden, but didn't surprise him as much as it should have. He had been doing a lot of thinking and had realized that he wouldn't be happy until he figured out what he really felt for her._

Maybe I should ask her out tonight,_ he considered, biting his lip and walking absentmindedly in the general direction of the kitchen. _We could go tomorrow, for dinner. Wait, no we couldn't. Our dinner happens when everyone else is having breakfast. But we could go out for breakfast. For dinner.

Maybe I need to think this through a little more.

_At this point, he reached the bottom of the stairs leading to the living room. A small noise brought him back to reality, and he glanced over at the couch. And stared. There, lying in a tangle of limbs, were Beast Boy and Starfire. His girl._

_The shape shifter was lying on top of her, looking very happy to be there. He was kissing her eagerly, and she had her arms wrapped around his neck. There had to be some mistake._

_It didn't look like _they _thought it was a mistake._

_He backed up, still staring, until the backs of his feet hit the stairs, nearly tripping him. As he turned to stumble up them, he heard a low voice mumble something and then a loud _thump_. He fled, not wanting to know what was happening behind him. Dinner didn't seem so important anymore._

_- - -_

Robin smashed his fist into the door again. It didn't work any more effectively than it had for the last hour, but at least it drove the memory from his mind. Fresh pain welled through him, not all of it from his fist. Didn't she feel what he felt? Was he wrong about the two of them?

And why Beast Boy, for goodness sakes?

_He's good-looking. He has that animalistic edge. He's laid back; not nearly as competitive as you are. And he made a move_, his mind supplied helpfully. With a growl, he lunged at the door again; the light from his lamp made it look almost like it was laughing at him. And why not? His predicament was funny, wasn't it?

The next time he saw Raven, there were going to be words. Very strong words.

Whenever Starfire had boyfriends in the past, he'd made it work. He could work around it. Nothing had really changed that much. Right?

_Except for the part where you love her._ He started. Love? That's right, he did love her, didn't he. What an amazing discovery. He was in love. No wonder this sucked so much.

Robin sank to the floor, his back against the offensive door. Why did this have to happen now, when she appeared to have made up her mind about someone else? _Because nothing worth having is easy to attain_, another corner of his mind whispered.

Where the hell was the off switch for that thing? Cyborg didn't know how lucky he was.

He glanced up at the door sensor and frowned. Hadn't it been pulsating with Raven's dark power earlier? Come to think of it, the it had been normal-looking for some time now. He reached up and put his hand in front of it from his sitting position. It opened the door, spilling him onto the hallway floor.

He picked himself up, glancing around to see if anyone had witnessed his embarrassing and ungraceful sprawl. No one was. He stood for a moment to collect himself.

The door was open. Now the question was, what next?

**End Chapter**

Whoa, that's the longest one so far. How exciting.

To my reviewers: Thank you, thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!! You guys are awesome support; I don't think it would be moving along so quickly without you. And NalaravatheRed? Thanks for the "Write More" song. That was so cool. -grins-

And someone finally noticed that it hasn't been any worse than PG-13 up 'til this point! I didn't expect to get so side-tracked...The lemon is coming, although there might not be much of it in this particular story. (Which means there is a sequel. You didn't really think this was a one-shot, did you?)

BTW, if you're looking for a bit of silliness, read oBsEsSiVe AnD hYpEr's profile page. It's hilarious!

Fairyhome2000


	5. Chapter 5: Didn't We Get Rid of That?

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: If you haven't noticed the first four, they say that I don't own the Teen Titans. That's still true.

**Chapter 5: Didn't We Get Rid of That?**

Robin hesitated outside the door. His hand was half-lifted to knock, but he couldn't make himself do it. _C'mon, don't be such a wuss, _he thought harshly to himself. He knocked. No one answered.

Cautiously, he stepped into the door sensor for it to open. With a soft _whoosh_ it lifted. The room was dark. It was only four in the morning, and the sun was still a long way from waking up. The moon cast dying silvery rays through the room, draping shadow over the furniture like heavy blankets.

"Star?" he asked the air, wondering if she'd moved to a different room. A sleepy murmur told him his first instinct had been right. She sat up in the medical bed, stretching like a cat. His night vision was good enough to know that she wasn't wearing much under the blanket. He was suddenly glad for the darkness--it hid his blushing face.

"Uh, how are you feeling?" he asked a bit distractedly, trying to keep his eyes off her torso as she, too, realized it was mostly bare. With a hasty swipe, she wrapped the blanket more firmly around herself.

"I am feeling much better. The pain in my arm is bearable, although not pleasant," she said quietly. There was something terribly intimate about talking with the quiet moon spilling into the room. It made them both speak in hushed tones.

"Glad to hear it," he said with a heartfelt grin. "But if it still hurts, we could probably find some meds to take the pain away."

"That is not necessary," she said quickly. She only vaguely remembered what happened after Raven had given her the first drug, and she knew that it was nothing she wanted to repeat. Although it had been quite pleasant to feel that safe and happy.

"What ever you say," he replied agreeably. Silence filled the room, and Starfire felt his change from relaxation to seriousness and something else she couldn't quite identify.

"Robin?"

"Yes, princess?" he asked, the nickname slipping out unbidden. It had started out a joke after the disaster that was Starfire's betrothal and the startling revelation that she was, indeed, a princess. It had stuck over the years; now it was something he called her when they were alone because it pleased her, although she was too embarrassed to admit to it. It was one of the few guilty pleasures he allowed himself.

"Why have you been engaging in the avoidance of me?" she asked.

Damn. He hadn't expected her to come right out and ask.

"You said we were _supposed _to avoid you," he replied evasively. He could tell by the set of her shoulders that she wasn't buying it.

"Yes, but that request ended when the orange coloring on my skin disappeared. You have been--what is the word?--dodging me for many days now," she said, not without heat. "I wish to know the reason for this."

"It's complicated," he said with a sigh, moving to flop onto the bed next to her. The fight he'd had with the his door earlier had stolen the rest of his rage. He knew that he had acted foolishly, and that he'd treated Beast Boy badly. Part of him was even sorry for it. But worry, doubt, and misery had pushed everything else away but Starfire. How was he supposed to explain that to her if she didn't feel the same way about him? What if she didn't...love him back?

"I do not care if it is more twisted than the mazes on the Keld-Nlarin moons! Why have you been behaving in this manner?" She asked the question with intensity, turning to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her earnest face for a moment, then out the window.

"I saw you and Beast Boy on the couch." He said the words quickly, as though it would make them hurt less. It didn't. Her soft gasp cut through his heart.

"You saw...? Robin, you must know that Beast Boy and I--" He cut her off.

"You don't owe me any explanations, princess. I can see where I stand," Robin said unhappily. Her hand crept out of the dark and into his, squeezing gently. Startled, he looked up into her face. Some trick of the moonlight illuminated her, making her eyes sparkle and her hair shine.

"Robin, where you stand is in my heart," Starfire said, very softly. "What happened with Beast Boy was an unavoidable accident--which I will explain later," she said quickly as his mouth opened. "He is one of my dearest friends, and I regret putting him into that position. Not the least because at the time I was wishing he was you."

Robin felt like he's been hit in the head with a hammer. Him? Really?

"Me? Really?" he asked dumbly. She laughed, and the sound chased away the rest of his doubts. So what if she kissed Beast Boy? She was going to explain it later! What mattered now was that a foolish grin was splitting his face in two.

"So, you said it's safe to be around you again, right?" he asked after a moment, his voice taking on a mischievous quality.

"Yes," Starfire replied warily.

"Good," he said, pulling her toward him. His arms crept around her waist, pulling her toward him. "'Cause I've been wanting to try this."

He bent forward and kissed her lightly. Starfire jumped a little, but then melted into him, pressing her lips more firmly to his. The kiss was long, sweet, and a little damp, and the two of them were gasping for air by the time they pulled back.

"Willyougoouttodinnerwi'me?" Robin asked in a rush. Starfire blinked rapidly at him, the pace of conversation changing too fast between talking, non-talking, and questions. After a moment, she pieced together what he was asking her .

Grinning, she said, "I would be quite happy to go to dinner with you."

- - -

They stumbled, just barely making it through the door. Her shirt was already missing, the skirt rapidly following suit. The shirt he'd changed into earlier was unbuttoned, and she was working steadily at the jeans. Then time seemed to jump; now they were both naked, and somehow they had managed to find the bed. He was touching her in ways she'd only dreamt about, and she did her best to do the same.

She made a small noise of pleasure as he took her breast into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue until she thought she would burst. She slid her hands down to grip his backside, making him break contact with her skin long enough to moan. He nipped at her stomach, hands sliding up her thighs. Her own hands tangled in his long hair, using it like a lever to pull him back up to her so she could kiss him.

"Robin, I cannot wait much longer!" she cried, breaking the kiss.

"I know, princess, me either," he groaned back. He brought his face up to hers, capturing her mouth, and shifted until he was between her legs. Then, suddenly, he was inside her, and it felt _good_. With a moan, she thrust her hips toward him, and he eagerly accepted the invitation. He moved with a preciseness that drove her insane; a true perfectionist.

With a sudden impish grin, she ducked her head to take one of his nipples into her mouth, biting down. It made him cry out and loose that control, until he drove them both into oblivion...

Starfire awoke with a jerk, nearly tumbling off her bed. She looked wildly around, half expecting a naked Robin to materialize in front of her. Not that it would be such a bad thing, with the way her hormones were racing.

What had they done?

The last thing she remembered was the medical room. She and Robin had kissed for the first time--the thought sent a flutter through her heart--and then had talked for hours. They had decided to go to dinner (or breakfast, rather) on Tuesday. Then she had gone to bed; which meant it had been a dream. She and Robin hadn't really gone out to dinner and then back to his room after all. The knowledge was comforting; after all, in the dream, he hadn't even bothered to remove his mask!

Starfire frowned. Why had she been dreaming about Robin like..._that?_ The only time she'd dreamt about _that _was...

Uh-oh.

She flicked the switch on her lamp. Light flooded the room, blinding her momentarily. When she could see without having to squint, Starfire pulled back the sleeve covering her good arm.

There it was. The Problem, laughing back at her.

Starfire suddenly had an urge to go back into time and kill whichever Tamaranian was responsible for passing this particular gene down through the generations. Of course, that would change history.

And they couldn't have little red-heads running around and changing history, now could they?

_I need something to throw_, she thought grimly. Pulling on a pair of sweat pants and an old gray shirt--she told herself it was for comfort, but it was more because she couldn't stand to see the Problem floating on her skin again--she started for the training room. There had to be _something_ there that would make a satisfying crunch when she threw it.

- - -

Raven blinked tiredly at the clock. It was two pm, way too early for her to be awake. What had awoken her?

A barbaric shout dimly echoing down the hallway let her know. _Was that...Starfire?_ Frowning, she donned a robe--a velvety midnight blue--and stepped into the hallway. The first thing to do was decide where the noise was coming from.

There it was again, accompanied by the loud crash of metal on metal. _That sounds like weights...The training room! _Raven realized.

- - -

"Arrrgh!" Starfire shouted, hefting another weight across the room. She had started out with the smaller weights, not wanting to hurt herself, but now it was more convenient to just pick up whatever was next on the rack instead of retrieving the ones she had already thrown. She picked up another one, and was just about to throw it when the door opened.

"Starfire, what are you doing?" Raven asked in amazement, staring at the chaos around her. Starfire guiltily dropped the weight she was holding, nearly hitting her own foot. She looked like a small child caught with daddy's power tools. Raven continued to stare, waiting for an explanation.

"Uh, practicing for the tournaments on Penaffa Prime?" Starfire replied hopefully. Raven gave her a look. "No? Then, perhaps this is merely a bad dream you are experiencing. Any moment now you will be waking up in your bed--"

"Cut it out." Raven waved the false explanations away. "Now, I'm just curious. Is this your idea of taking it easy on the bad arm? Because if it is, your priorities need to be sorted out."

Starfire at least had the grace to look embarrassed. "I did not use the damaged arm in order to throw those objects. It is too pained to use in that manner."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you were using _some_ form of reasoning," Raven muttered, rubbing her temples. It was too early for this--she just wanted to go back to bed. "Star, why exactly are you throwing weights around the training room in the middle of the day?"

"Raven, this concern for my well-being is very kind, but it is beginning to aggravate my nerves. Could you not just accept that I wished to throw things around the room of training because--"

"Is that what I think it is?" Raven interrupted. She was staring at Starfire's arm as though it had turned into a spider. A nasty, dog-sized spider. Starfire glanced down, knowing that she would only see the Problem, but one could never be too careful about nasty dog-sized spiders.

"The Problem has resurfaced," she said. She was almost successful in making the words sound bland, but a tinge of heat laced through them, betraying her temper.

"Didn't you say it wasn't supposed to come back until next month?"

"That _is _what I said. I believe the condition was not listening at the time, so it must not know that it should not be present at this time." Raven didn't know what stunned her more, this second returning of orange skin or that Starfire had actually used sarcasm correctly . She pinched the bridge of her nose, willing the headache that was beginning to form away. She had a feeling she wouldn't be going back to bed any time soon.

"How about this? I'll help you clean the room up, and you repay me by telling me what's going on. Deal?" Raven didn't like that it was like pulling teeth to get Starfire to divulge information lately; it was too much like having conversation with herself.

Starfire bit her lip, obviously wanting to accept the invitation to talk, but still unsure. "And you will not say anything to anyone?"

Raven gave her a look. "Star, have I ever told any of your secrets?"

The other girl shook her head, a smile finally breaking over her face. "No, you are a true friend to me, Raven. Very well, I will accept your offer."

- - -

A figure crept along the side of the tower, tiny next to its immensity. It slipped by all of the security cameras and traps, seemingly knowing exactly when to wait and where to step. It reached the front door and began disarming the alarm at an frightening rate.

"This is almost too easy." The figure's murmur carried into the airy afternoon, holding a flavor of disgust. It was broad daylight, for cryin' out loud; it shouldn't be this easy. Within minutes, the door was opening, and the individual slipped inside, unnoticed by all.

- - -

"You kissed _Beast Boy_? On the _lips_?" Raven asked incredulously.

"Well, at the time I believed that perhaps if I gave the Problem a tiny amount of what it craved, it would recede. But in practice, the opposite happened," Starfire replied, chagrinned.

"No wonder he's been so twitchy lately. But seriously, Beast Boy? And on the _couch_. I don't think I can sit on it now that I know that the two of you have made out on it."

"Raven, I do not think you are concentrating on the correct portion of this story," Starfire said a little peevishly. They had moved to her room after cleaning the weights up since the living room was too bright--it was three o'clock, and the sun was beaming cheerfully at the world.

"I'm sorry, go on," Raven said, shaking her head to clear it.

- - -

The figure crept like a cat through the living room and into the kitchen. It opened the refrigerator and food began disappearing into the ratty knapsack sitting on the floor. When the overworked rag was bulging, the figure stepped back and admired it's handy work. A job well done. It began stalking through the house, heading in the general direction of the bedrooms.

- - -

"You kissed Robin, too? Along with flashing Cyborg? I never pictured you as the brazen type, Starfire."

"F-flashing? That is an activity in which someone exhibits his or her private parts for the viewing of all, yes?" At Raven's nod, Starfire let out a displeased squeal. "I do not remember _flashing _anyone! Are you certain it is me that you are speaking of?"

"Yes. It was while you were on the medication; you didn't really know what you were doing," Raven explained patiently. "But what I really want to know is, what does all of this have to do with the orange?"

Starfire suddenly seemed to be very interested in her hands, and fidgeted with them in her lap. "Perhaps I failed to mention that occasionally in the first months of the cycles the Problem occurs more than once?"

Raven sighed. "Yeah, you forgot to mention it. Any idea how often or--" She stopped talking abruptly, eyes alert. "Wait, did you hear that? I think someone's moving around in the hallway."

"It is most likely Robin, Beast Boy, or Cyborg, is it not?" Starfire whispered. Raven shook her head.

"No, I reached out to the person with my powers. Whoever it is feels familiar, but it isn't one of the boys."

"Then perhaps we should engage in the checking out of this intruder," Starfire said forcefully. Raven agreed. If someone was attacking their home from the inside, they would pay.

**End Chapter**

It's been a while, hasn't it? I did warn you that schoolwork would interfere, though!

Robin and Starfire finally kissed! Yay! I'm so happy. Because now I get to make even more complicated. -evil grin- Besides, they deserve kissing. I'm just curious: Any guesses as to who the intruder is? Also, that was my first sex scene, so I'd appreciate feedback even though it was a dream sequence.

To AnimeHimeko: Thank you so much for giving me some criticism I can use. That's exactly the kind of thing I need! -sunny smile-

To Evil-Queen-Sab, about Terra: I did see that episode. I'm not operating in an alternate universe where that didn't happen--I have another story, _Unpetrify_, that deals with it. So, I guess it's kind of a prerequisite? Anyway, read it if it keeps bothering you. And thanks for the criticism; like I said, I need it!

To Lexon: I'll keep it in mind, but probably not in this story. But be on the lookout for the next one I'm writing.

To A Tumor Named Marla: Thanks so much for the complement. It means a lot that you think so highly of my writing. -blushes-

To YumiOrrick4ever: It was a flashback. Sorry about the confusion.

See you in Chapter 6!

Fairyhome2000


	6. Chapter 6: Breakfast With the Titans

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. I _do_ own a TV, so I watch them, instead. Please don't sue me.

**Chapter 6: Breakfast With the Titans**

Starfire crept to the edge of the hallway and then peered around the corner cautiously, sweat beading on her forehead. It was clear. She nodded at Raven, signaling her to come forward. They had been following the stranger, keeping their distance so the person didn't see them.

"Raven," Starfire said as quietly as she could, "I did not see if the intruder continued to walk down our hall or if they entered one of the rooms."

Raven's face blanked as she concentrated. "They're in Terra's room."

Starfire's face hardened. "I do not think our friend would appreciate that. Let us go kick the butt!"

Raven couldn't agree more. They crept to the doorway.

"Ready?" Raven whispered. "One, two, three!"

They burst into the room, Starfire with her emerald blaze already in her hands and Raven chanting. The intruder, who was in the middle of devouring a sandwich, looked up at them with a shocked expression, obviously unprepared to meet anyone. The moment the three of them locked eyes, Raven and Starfire stifled their attacks. The three stared at each other, stunned.

"Star? Rae?" the figure questioned.

"Terra!" the two other girls exclaimed.

- - -

"So, then I thought maybe I could try to sneak in, just for fun, y'know? Only, it was really easy--you guys had better get that checked out--and I raided the refrigerator. Then I came in here, since it's my room and all and I wanted to surprise everyone later but I guess you guys surprised me first, huh?" Somehow, the little blonde managed to say all of it in one breath. Starfire's head was spinning just trying to keep up with the fast-paced girl's story. Raven hadn't bothered--once it was clear that Terra was their intruder, she had stretched out on the other girl's bed and promptly fell asleep.

"So, Star, how come you're skin's all splotchy like that? Did you come down with something?" Terra asked suddenly.

"Come down with something? No, I have been on the ground this whole time," Starfire said with some confusion. Terra laughed.

"No, what I mean is, did you get sick?"

Starfire hesitated. "No, I do not harbor any illnesses. It is simply a condition of my people. It will go away on it's own eventually."

"Oh, okay," Terra said. Starfire was amazed that someone had finally just left it at that.

"Tell me again why it is that you have come back to us earlier than three months?" she requested.

"Well, what it boils down to is that there wasn't much for me to do anymore. We'd already excavated the whole site, so it didn't make any sense to stay. Why, didn't you miss me?" Terra asked, looking uncertain for the first time. Starfire immediately hugged her.

"No, my friend, I am quite happy to see you. And I know that the others will be joyful as well," Starfire said confidently. Shortly after, Starfire left Terra to her own devices, carrying the sleeping Raven to her bed. She thought about the Problem as she walked back to her own room--there had to be some way to control it. That was what she had heard on Tamaran, anyway. Unfortunately, Tamaranian females didn't talk about it openly, and certainly not with the younger girls. It was generally discussed when a girl had reached her sixteenth birthday, thus giving her a year or two to prepare. Since Starfire had left her planet at a fairly early age, she never received one of those famed "talks," and consequently had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"Why can you not simply go away?" she complained, sitting on her bed. She stared at her skin, willing the orange mottling to vanish. She thought about her skin as it should have been, unmarred by any sort of orange pattern. Then she closed her eyes, holding onto the thought and wishing desperately that when she opened them, the Problem would be gone. She opened her eyes. For a moment, her skin appeared to be untouched, perfect. Then, in the next blink, it was mottled again.

Starfire frowned. Had she imagined the change? Perhaps there was a way to control the condition after all.

- - -

He was dreaming. Two lights beckoned to him from the path he was following, one gold and one green. For a while they traveled together, hovering a little above him. Then suddenly they split, heading down opposite forks in the road. He stopped walking and stared down the two paths. Which one should he choose?

"Psst. Beast Boy." That wasn't part of the dream. As soon as the thought occurred to him, Beast Boy's eyes opened. There was a figure standing over him. Without thinking about it, he reached out and grabbed the person by the shoulders, pulled them onto the bed, and pinned them, his elbow pressed threateningly to the nape of their neck.

"You've got five seconds to tell me who you are," he growled, sleepiness making his voice even lower. The person under him flinched.

"Uh, Terra. Could you let me up? It's kind of hard to breathe from under here," the "assailant" said nervously. Beast Boy's jaw dropped, and he immediately released her, hand fumbling for the light switch. "You'd think that I'd have learned after the girls caught me the first time."

"Y-you're back," Beast Boy stammered as light flooded the room. Sleeping during the day had required all of the Titans to cover up their bedroom windows with thick curtains, melting sunlight into a dim memory. The only way to see was to have lots of lamps.

"Yeah. Sorry about sneaking up on you. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Hey, what happened to the bunk beds?"

"Huh? Oh, I got rid of them a year ago. I thought it was time for a real bed..." he trailed off uncertainly, a blush staining his cheeks. No need to tell her _why_ he was thinking he should have a real bed...

"I like it. It's very, uh, bouncy," Terra replied, her own face beginning to color. Maybe she'd figured it out on her own.

"What are you doing here?" Beast Boy asked again, embarrassment turning into confusion and curiosity.

"Well, I was just...And then I was...It's like this...But aren't you...I mean, you _did _miss me, right?" Terra felt a little ashamed that she needed everyone to be deliriously happy to see her. But she'd missed them all so much! What if she'd been mistaken about coming back? What if they'd changed their minds about her, didn't want her around anymore? And why was he just sitting there?

"Totally!" Beast Boy scooped Terra up in a big hug that nearly crushed the air out of her lungs. She laughingly shoved at him.

"Beast Boy, I have to breathe!"

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said sheepishly. He drank in the sight of her for a moment. Her clothing was a little dusty--apparently she hadn't bothered to leave the desert behind in Arizona. She was so _pretty_, just as he remembered, with one exception. He couldn't quite put his finger on it at first. Then, after a moment, he gasped.

"What are you staring at?" Terra asked.

"You cut your hair?" he cried mournfully. The shining gold mane had been chopped to fall just above her shoulders.

"Well, yeah! I mean, it's super hot there. I had to do something about it. You like?" Terra turned her head slowly, showing off the new hair cut from all angles.

"I guess. I really liked it long, though," Beast Boy muttered. Terra winked at him, making him blush again. "But I guess I could get used to it. So, you never answered my question. What are you doing back here so early? And in my room?"

"Well, we finished up the project early, so I took an early flight and snuck in here. And then I just wanted to see you," she replied, ducking her face to hide another blush. At this rate, she was going to run out of blood for the rest of her body. Beast Boy grinned.

"Well, the feeling's mutual. It's really great to see you," he said softly, leaning in to hug her again, this time much more gently. Terra felt her heart leap. After a moment, she reluctantly pulled away.

"I should let you get back to sleep. I'm really sorry about waking you up so early. Or late. Or whatever. I'm gonna go...find something to do, I guess. See you tonight?"

"Yeah. Tonight," he replied. She threw one last glance at him as she exited the room. Beast Boy took a deep breath as she left the room. Things were certainly getting more complicated by the minute.

- - -

"Terra! You're back!"

"Whoa, I didn't expect to see you soon!"

"How've you been?"

"How was Arizona?"

"What's it like?"

"Did you see the Grand Canyon?"

"Find any cool rocks?"

"Whoa, whoa, guys slow down! I'm glad to see you too, but I can't answer--what was that, five?--questions at once!"

Robin and Cyborg exchanged sheepish glances. "Sorry, girl. We just didn't expect you back so soon."

"Yeah, it's kind of a surprise. But we need all the help we can get," Robin said. Actually, the truth was that it had been so quiet in the city that it was starting to make him nervous. After all, Murphy's Law would say something was bound to blow soon. _Maybe everyone's banding together for once. If all of the villains fought on a united front, we'd be toast_, Robin thought idly. The sound of the door opening had him looking up.

Beast Boy walked in, hair still damp from his shower. He glanced around the room, and met Robin's unreadable eyes only briefly before wandering over to the cupboards to start his breakfast.

"Beast Boy, did you see that Terra's back?" Robin asked his teammate, keeping his voice carefully neutral. He leaned back against the counter, coffee cup in hand. Beast Boy glanced at him, and then nodded.

"Yeah, I saw her earlier."

"Good."

"Good."

The door opened again. Raven stepped in, her eyes bleary with dark hollows under them. Cyborg opened his mouth, and Raven held up a finger.

"Nobody talk to me until I've had my herbal tea," she said flatly. Cyborg obligingly closed his mouth. Robin looked away to hide his grin, and met Terra's eyes as she did the same thing. They had a moment of perfect understanding and burst into laughter. Raven frowned at them, shook her head, and began making her tea.

"I guess the only person we're missing is Star. Anybody seen her?" Terra asked as she wiped her eyes. Everyone shook their heads. "Oops, I must've kept her up too late this morning. Or does that make it early?"

Just as she said the words, Starfire entered the room. It was getting quite crowded.

"Joyous morning wishes, friends!" she said happily. Raven glanced up from her kettle of hot water and nearly spilled it on herself. Starfire was in her normal attire, and not a splotch of orange could be seen. _Did I dream up last night? No, Terra's still here, so it must have been real. But where did the Problem go?_ she wondered, picking up Starfire's habitual name for the condition.

"Morning, Star," Robin said softly, a smile playing around the corner of his lips. Starfire blushed and ducked her head, making her way over to the table. Beast Boy watched the exchange with interest. Just yesterday Robin hadn't even wanted to _look _at Starfire, and now they were acting like they had just gotten back from a date or something. Had Starfire told him the truth?

Beast Boy squashed a momentary pang of jealousy; he'd _liked_ being in the minority of people that knew what was going on with her. Besides, that kiss felt kind of private now, like it was a secret that they shared. He glanced guiltily in Terra's direction. She was chatting gaily with Cyborg about sneaking into the tower. What if she found out?

Raven made her way over to the table, her hands greedily clutching her cup of tea. _Oh, sweet caffeine_, she thought with relish at the first sip. She sat at the table, trying to look casual as she leaned over to talk to Starfire.

"Star, where did the orange go?" she asked softly, motioning toward the other girl's arm. The Tamaranian grinned.

"I spent the day learning to control the Problem," she replied in a low voice. She closed her eyes briefly and brought her guard down; the orange mottling rushed up toward the surface of her skin. Then she clamped those guards back down again, and it vanished.

Raven was impressed. "Didn't you say it usually takes a year to develop that kind of control?"

"Yes. But in situations of desperation, I can be quite determined," Starfire replied happily.

"Are you sure you have complete control over it, though? I mean, it doesn't seem like one day could be enough time," Raven said worriedly.

"I will have many more days to practice it, will I not?" Starfire said cheerfully. She glanced around the room and saw Beast Boy, who was staring at her with wide eyed astonishment. The others were talking about way to improve the tower's security, but Beast Boy, at least, hadn't missed her little demonstration.

"So, what are you guys doing tonight? Who's on patrol? Can I help? I haven't busted more than a poacher since I was here last," Terra's cheerful voice broke through the room. Beast Boy looked away from Starfire's gaze and smiled at her.

"Cy and I are on patrol tonight. You could come with us if you wanted, though. Right, Cy?"

Cyborg nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's coo' with me." Then he stopped and thought for a moment, a grin stretching across his face. "Actually, why don't the two of you go alone? I've got some bugs to work out on the new tracking equipment, and this is a perfect night to work on it," he said, winking at Terra. She blushed, but gave him a small smile back. Beast Boy glanced between them; he was getting the feeling that he and the blonde girl were being set up. He couldn't keep the answering smile off his face.

"Great! When do we go?" Terra asked enthusiastically.

- - -

"Hey," a voice said behind her. A gentle hand grabbed her wrist, spinning her around and into waiting arms. Warm lips pressed to hers, making her jump a little.

"Surprise you?" Robin's laughing eyes met Starfire's dazed ones. She smiled.

"Yes, you did. I did not hear you walking behind me."

Robin grinned. "Well, you left breakfast so suddenly that I thought I'd see if everything was okay."

She had begun to feel a little dizzy in the kitchen/dining room. The strain of putting up a mental barrier to block out the Problem and the way everyone was so close together in the room, compounded by the fatigue she felt from the sleepless morning, had simply overwhelmed her.

"I was feeling somewhat claustrophobic," Starfire admitted. Robin leaned in to hug her. She had noticed the night before that he was suddenly taking every opportunity he had to touch her in some way; a pat on the shoulder, fingers smoothing her hair out of her face, or an "accidental" brush over the bare skin at her midriff. She found the subterfuge quite charming, especially since he didn't realize that he was being so obvious.

Starfire allowed herself to relax into his arms. They were so comforting and strong. Robin's fingers trailed over her spine, sending shivers racing through her. She suddenly wondered what it would be like to wrap herself up in that electric aura of energy he seemed to possess, to lose herself completely in his scent. The thought made her feel shaky and a little warm.

She could feel the walls that she had so carefully constructed around the Problem begin to crumble. With a hasty movement, she pulled back form Robin.

"I believe I shall go to my room and partake in a nap," she said hastily, and sped down the hallway, leaving a bewildered Robin in her wake.

**End Chapter**

Oh, good, another character for me to write for. What _was_ I thinking?

Oh, and the grand prize goes to...Star and Robin 4 eva and Ulysses! You correctly guessed the intruder's identity! -Gives Star and Robin 4 eva and Ulysses big bouquets of roses- Good work. ;) SaR4e, I was thinking the exact same thing about the scene between Nightwing and Starfire. There was kissing going on there, I just know it!

To Brogramn: I know what you mean about reading and not reviewing...I do the exact same thing. Sometimes it's just too hard to think of something to say. And thank you so much for the compliment. -blushes- I must be doing _something _right.

To starfire ewing: Thank you for the feedback, but in the future, could you please not drop the f-bomb? I'd kind of like to run a clean review page.

To Darkmage: Oooooh, don't tempt me to try to make a believable pairing out of the two. ;)

To everyone else: Thank you so much for reviewing! It means a lot. I really am updating as fast as I can, I promise. The only other alternative is to put up chapters as soon as they're written and then edit them throughout the week. I don' think anyone needs to see what the first drafts of this stuff looks like--trust me, it's not pretty! I am trying to at least get one chapter out a week, though.

Oh, there _are_ herbal teas out there with caffeine, right? Anyone?

Fairyhome2000


	7. Chapter 7: Dance of the Dying Feathers

**The Problem With Orange**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans. And thank goodness, because they'd all be in therapy 24/7 for what I'm putting them through.

**Chapter Seven: Dance of the Dying Feathers**

_It is simply a matter of control. It is very much akin to Raven's mediation. Peace, calm, tranquility. That does not include thoughts of Robin. Peace, calm, tranquility. Beast Boy is also not an acceptable source of these things, nor is the pondering of exactly how much of Cyborg's body is still human. Peace, calm, tranquility. No, Robin kissing the sides of my neck, while enjoyable in theory, is _definitely _not peace, calm, _or _tranquility._

_This is not working._

With a petulant sigh, Starfire's lotus position wilted and she collapsed face up onto her bed. She brought her arm up to her face for examination and winced as the orange patterns crept up to the surface of her skin again. It was amazing to her that after an entire day of concentration and devotion to making the Problem go away, a few stolen minutes in the hallway with Robin defeated all of her hard won control.

It didn't seem very fair.

And it wasn't only thoughts of Robin, although he played a key part. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing out their own roles in her mind. The fantasies came unbidden, and all had the same theme-- no plot and even less clothing. Where _had_ she gotten some of these ideas, anyway? It didn't seem like using scarves to tie someone to the bed was a _normal _way to make love.

The phrase brought fresh images to her mind, all of them involving Robin. After all, she loved him, and he seemed to feel the same way. She tried to push the scenes out of her mind, but they were quite persistent.

"How am I supposed accompany Robin on a date in four days if I cannot control you?" she asked her skin. Not surprisingly, it didn't answer. The tension inside was _killing_ her; there were some moments when she felt she could bear the desire, and others where even the smallest movement of the clothing against her skin made her shudder and want to seek out male attention immediately. She didn't think it was going to get any easier. "What am I going to do?"

- - -

"Beast Boy." Said Titan whirled around, ready for anything at the sound of Robin's voice.

"Sorry. We cool?" Robin asked, extending his hand. Beast Boy merely stared at it. This was unexpected, to say the least.

"Uh, sure, buddy," he said, managing a smile. He took the hand cautiously, as if expecting a trap any second. Robin winced inside. _I guess I was a lot harsher than I thought these last couple of days._

"Well, now that that's taken care of...I'm gonna go see what Cy's doing, okay?" Beast Boy said. For the second time that night, Robin was left to stand in a daze while one of his friends scampered away. He sniffed his armpit surreptitiously. Nope, he didn't smell. Maybe it was just one of those nights.

- - -

_Oh, man, this is not good. Not good at all_, beast Boy thought frantically. He had not, in fact, gone to see Cyborg; instead, he made his way up to the roof of the tower. As soon as the fresh air hit his lungs, he began to pace the length of the roof.

The trouble had started on patrol. He and Terra had talked quietly while they looked for signs of criminal activity. The only odd thing they'd seen was the frost on the ground. In August. Beast Boy had raised an eyebrow, but Terra had laughed and explained it away with some nonsense about a cold front or something. He _knew_ there was something wrong with the frost; it didn't smell right. Literally.

Terra had pulled him along anyway. They had gone through the entire city long before, breaking up one minor fight and stopping two thieves before they could even get into the stores they were trying to rob. All in all, it had been a quiet night.

"Is this natural?" Terra asked him suddenly. He shook his head.

"It's been like this for a few weeks now. Nothing worse than a mugging. Maybe all the super villains have finally given up on Jump City," Beast Boy said with more enthusiasm than he felt. He knew that the others were beginning to feel restless about the lack of activity; it was part of the reason everyone was on edge. Of course, Starfire's little "condition" wasn't helping matters, either. Beast Boy frowned at the thought. He had seen her demonstrating the control she had developed over the orange patterns on her skin and heard the words she had spoken to Raven--those big ears weren't just for decoration--but he had to wonder if she was really in control. After all, he'd felt the passion in their kiss on the couch, and he had been pretty sure it wasn't just one-sided.

One-sided? Didn't that imply that maybe he felt something more for her?

_Nononono,_ _just friends_, he thought frantically. It didn't matter that she was incredibly beautiful, or that she not only laughed at most of his jokes, but had made _him _laugh just as much at hers. It didn't matter that she was in his top four people in the world to protect at all costs (Robin was also on the list, but at the moment he was near the bottom), or that maybe the kiss had been more than just a kiss. Because they were just friends. Right?

_Right?_

"Beast Boy, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something," Terra asked, sounding very concerned. He stopped on the path and forced himself to look at her, look at the girl that he'd spent so many years in head-over-heels in love with. Had it gone away?

The answer was no, it was still there; Terra was a beautiful, wonderful free spirit that filled him with exhilaration whenever he was near her. Except...

"Beast Boy?" Terra questioned again, now looking very confused at his sudden intensity. Without really thinking about it, Beast Boy leaned forward and kissed her lightly, looking intently into her eyes the entire time. He watched as Terra's widened and then drooped. She leaned into him, seeming to melt right into his arms. Beast Boy closed his eyes, pulling her closer, and soaked up the kiss, trying to drown the memory of Starfire with it.

- - -

Kissing Terra for the first time had been just what he'd expected--passionate, intoxicating, and had left him shaken. But he still couldn't get a certain red-haired Tamaranian out of his head. And to make things even worse, _Robin_ had apologized to _him_. How was he supposed to pretend like everything was okay when he was developing a thing for Starfire? How was he supposed to behave around Terra? And Starfire, for that matter?

"Arrrgh!" he shouted at the midnight sky.

"Problem?" a cool voice asked form behind. Beast Boy spun around.

"R-Raven! What are you doing out here?" he asked skittishly. Raven arched her brow at him.

"It's a free rooftop. I came out here to meditate. But if you need some time alone..."

"No, no, no, it's okay. Meditate away. Why would I need to be alone anyway?" he babbled. His brain seemed to be working on overdrive. Man, he needed to de-stress.

"Beast Boy, does this have anything to do with Starfire's...Problem?" Raven asked, casually examining her nails. She glanced up thought the shadow of her hood and saw that Beast Boy's face looked pale and stricken, and she didn't think it was a trick of the moonlight.

"P-Problem? What problem? I didn't know Star had a problem!" He was babbling again. _Shut your mouth already, Beast Boy!_ he told himself harshly. Raven sighed, giving up on being diplomatic about the situation.

"Beast Boy, she kissed you. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Even if it was a really good kiss, it was still just a kiss. But it doesn't make you any less of a good guy if you enjoyed it," she said bluntly, looking straight into his eyes.

"Yeah, but Terra..." he said, all of the frantic energy leaking out of him.

"Did you tell her?" Beast Boy shook his head frantically. "Then don't and move on. Star and Robin sure have." That last comment was muttered, as though she hadn't really meant to say it out loud.

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked, his gut tensing like he was expecting a blow, only this one wouldn't be physical. Raven opened her mouth a few times to clarify and finally settled on the simplest explanation.

"They've moved into the dating stage. I also suspect their kissing in corners when we aren't around, but that's just speculation. Beast Boy? Beast Boy?"

Said Titan had whirled around and stalked to the edge of the tower, his hands gripping the railing so hard it was painful. So, he didn't have to make a choice, Star had already solved it for him. Before he'd even gotten the chance to sort it all out.

"Damn it," he growled, punching the concrete.

- - -

"Hey, watcha doin'?" Terra's voice came from behind Robin. He was sitting on the floor of the living room with his back against the couch, a significant stack of papers in front of him.

"Oh, just going through the mail. You wouldn't believe some of the crap we get. Look at this: Support Our Lemons. S. O. L. Doesn't that kind of spell out their chances?"

Terra giggled and leaned around him to get a better look at the stack. "Oh, there's another one. 'This is your last chance to get a Titan-grade credit card from World Class Credit!' Do they realize _we're _Titans and we _still _don't use their cards?"

"Nope, we get them every couple of weeks," Robin answered. Terra, without knowing it, was infecting him with her good cheer. Not that he'd been particularly lacking it; ever since he and Starfire had finally decided where they stood, he couldn't help but feel a little goofy. _If I'd known it was going to be like this, I'd have either tried a lot sooner or run away as fast as I could,_ he thought to himself.

"Robin, hel-lo! I _said_, look at this one!" Terra demanded his attention, holding up a flier that had been buried in the stack.

**Come See the Coolest Cats in Town!**

**On Saturday, **

**Miss Penny Sapheir and company will be performing at **

**the Biannual Big Band Bash.**

**Be there, or be square, pally.**

"Dude, this would be so much fun. It says it's being held at one of the clubs downtown, Paint Me the Blues. I've been there a couple of times, and their totally into the lounge scene." Robin stared at her blankly. "Y'know, gangsters, tuxedos, fedoras, hot girls in slinky dresses, saxophones, and lots of jazz?"

"Terra, I listen rap. And heavy stuff. Jazz isn't exactly my thing," he pointed out. Terra winked at him.

"Trust me. You wanna show Star the time of her life? Get her all dressed up and we'll all go to this thing. I'll bet we could even convince Raven--didn't beatniks spawn from this sort of crowd?"

"I dunno. I mean, there'll be dancing...and more dancing..."

"I know you can dance, white boy. I've seen you grooving to some of that stuff that pours out of Cyborg's room, which is a good thing, considering he has way better taste in music than you."

"Hey, you take that back!" Robin said in an injured tone, grabbing a pillow from behind to whack Terra in the face with. For a moment, she looked too shocked at his audacity to move. Then she grabbed another pillow, and retaliated. Soon, they were having a full out, jumping, climbing, hitting-and-throwing pillow fight. It ended abruptly when both pillows erupted in an explosion of feathers. They floated down to the surface of the floor gracefully, as if they could erase the violent murder of the unsuspecting pillows with their dance.

"Star's going to kill us," Robin said with conviction. After all, they were her edition to the room to make it more homey.

"You get the sewing machine, I'll start gathering up the feathers," Terra said, never taking her eyes off the peacefully floating feathers.

"Who's gonna do the sewing?"

"Both of us, you nimwit."

"Right."

- - -

"You're really worked up about this whole thing, aren't you?" Raven asked after a moment, putting a hand on Beast Boy's arm. "Why is this so important?"

He sighed, burying his face in his resting arms. "It's just...Terra's what I want in a woman. She really is. She's smart, spunky, pretty, and _hilarious_. So's Star. But...Star's more like the woman I wish I could have. The kind that walks into a room and can have any guy she wants. And when she kissed me, for the first time I thought maybe it was me she chose, not Robin. I kinda started to secretly hope that maybe they wouldn't work out. But I guess I knew deep down that she's all about him. I'm just so sick of being a freak."

Raven listened to his words, and felt an answering pain. _A freak, like you. You control the dark, and it makes you unfeeling, cold. No man wants you,_ a piece of her whispered. Even as she tried to block it, she could feel the hurt at not being considered on Beast Boy's list of ladies. Granted, she didn't want to touch the love triangle with a nineteen and a half foot pole, but it would have been nice if he, one of her best friends, had considered her a true woman. She closed her eyes tightly, frantically trying to block out the ache.

"Rae? Rae?" Beast Boy asked, shaking her shoulder gently. "You all right? C'mon, snap out of it."

She looked at him then. To his great astonishment, he saw that her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. But then she blinked them away, the sadness mingling with seriousness.

"I know what it's like to be looked at and not really considered for what's inside. It sucks. But I also know that Star and Robin have been mooning over each other for years now. To be honest, no one else has ever stood a chance."

Beast Boy smiled. "Not even her other boyfriends?"

"Uh-uh."

He thought for a moment. "Not even Aqua Lad?"

This time Raven smiled back. "Nope, not even him."

"Thanks," he said, feeling marginally better. Then he shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, you know that it's cool to cry and stuff around me, right?"

Raven lifted a brow at him. "Beast Boy, I don't do crying."

He laughed suddenly, and it was abrupt and rich. "Right, just like you don't do fear."

She growled, actually _growled_, at him for that one.

"Or anger," he added with a nudge.

"Oh, no, I do anger. And it's a lot more welcome than crying," she replied with a sardonic smile.

**End Chapter**

It's been a while, huh?

I'll bet you thought I'd put Robin and Terra in the same situation as Starfire and Beast Boy. Hah! Fooled you! This chapter is dedicated to **HPangel589**, my 100th reviewer. (And thank you for the compliment--I was a little concerned about the scene.) Over 100 reviews! I was shocked when I saw that number. Frickin' A'. It made my night, seriously. I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the story so far.

On a side note (like that's never happened before), Penny's last name is pronounced Saf-ear, although it flows a little better. Think French.

**To FairDrea: **Dude, you're awesome for giving me such a lengthy review. And please, if you find something you need to tear into me for, do it!

**To RyokoJesseandFriend: **Thank you so much for being a faithful reviewer so far! I understand your reservations on the physical aspects on a relationship before it's developed. Trust me, it's going to become a central issue, although maybe not the way you think. And as for the question: the Beast Boy/Starfire kiss happened once; the "second" time was Robin's flashback.

**To Phoenix'sSoul: **If you mean, did Robin and Starfire really do it, the answer is no, it was Starfire's dream. And I've actually been waiting for someone to comment on the night owl stuff! I figure that at some point, the Titans would have had to switch from going to bed at the same time as the rest of the world to doing most of their crime fighting at night, since that's when most of the criminal activity happens.

**To GalaxyStar: **I'm glad I could make your day!

**To Tsugath: **Twisty enough for you? ;)

**To Brogramn: **Does that mean you get to go to the UK and soak up some culture from someone else's country? That would be so cool! Oh, and I, uh, guess I could actually comment on your comment... I know Star's a little OOC, but I think given the stress of thinking brand new thoughts about people that are like family, it's believable. I also wanted to give her more depth than just "happy." Of course, you're free to disagree. Oh, and the review I left on chapter two of your story was kind of a joke relating to yours, but I guess you had no idea what I was doing. Sorry 'bout that; I'll make it up to you.

**To everyone concerned about Terra being a lawn ornament: **You probably didn't see my earlier note on Terra; I have another story called _Unpetrify_ that deals with her stone...ness. Yeah. Read it if it still bothers you.

**To everyone that commented about the tea: **I know that regular ol' tea has plenty of caffeine, but wasn't sure about the herbal. I got several yes's and one no, and if we average that out it's a maybe. Good enough for me. ;)

**To everyone with more questions: **I know that some of these notes are addressed to certain people, but read them anyway! Sometimes it saves me from having to answer the same question over and over.

Wow, these ending notes are getting longer and longer.

Cool. ;)

Fairyhome2000


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